EXPLOSIVE NOISE ABATEMENT

THIS IS A PROPOSAL TO INVESTIGATE THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY AND COST EFFECTIVENESS OF VENTED SUPPRESSIVE SHIELDS (VSS) AS A MEANS OF REDUCING THE NOISE LEVELS RESULTING FROM EXPLOSIVE OPERATIONS AND/OR MUNITIONS TESTING. VSS IS DESIGNED TO REDUCE THE EXTERNAL BLAST OVERPRESSURE, FROM AN EXPLOSIVE OPERATION, TO A HUMAN TOLERABLE LEVEL. A HUMAN TOLERABLE LEVEL IS DEFINED AS BEING THAT WHICH WILL NOT CAUSE EARDRUM DAMAGE AT A DISTANCE OF 2 METERS. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THIS PROTECTION THE EXTERNAL BLAST OVERPRESSURE MUST BE REDUCED TO 2.3 PSI OR LOWER. SINCE THERE IS DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BLAST OVERPRESSURE AND SOUND LEVEL (DB), REDUCTION OF EXTERN OVERPRESSURE ALSO RESULTS IN SOUND LEVEL REDUCTION. IN PHASE I, VSS ENCLOSURE CONCEPTS AND DESIGNS WILL BE DEVELOPED TO REDUCE THE EXTERNAL SOUND LEVEL BY A 20 DB GOAL, FROM EXPLOSIVE OPERATIONS AND/OR MUNITIONS TESTING. INFORMATION FROM PRIOR TESTED DESIGNS, AND CALCULATIONS FOR SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS WILL BE APPLIED, VSS ENCLOSURES, IN ADDITION TO BLAST OVERPRESSURE REDUCTION, SUPPRESS AND CONTAIN FRAGMENTS AND THERMAL HAZARDS.